Senator FAULKNER (Leader of the Opposition in the Senate)(4.10 p.m.) —Last evening I was arguing, and I think persuasively, in support of opposition amendments Nos 18 and 2. The committee might recall that, in relation to amendment 18, I had indicated that the clause in the bill currently offers no guidance to agency heads on what workplace diversity programs ought to contain and how their effectiveness should be monitored.

I perhaps ought not repeat the arguments that I presented in support of these amendments last night, but I could predict to the committee that the government is likely to argue that it has achieved an appropriate level of guidance through the draft Public Service Commissioner's direction on diversity in employment. As far as the opposition is concerned, our preference is to provide this minimum level of guidance in the primary legislation. The government's prescription in the draft direction is in our view deficient in that it makes no provision for consultation with unions and employee representatives in the development of diversity programs.

It was on Senator Harradine's suggestion last night that I deferred opposition amendment No. 2 in relation to the definition of designated groups. In accepting the arguments that Senator Harradine put forward, I think it is appropriate to group that definition of designated groups with amendment No. 18. That definition in opposition amendment No. 2 is taken from the current Public Service Act. I commend both these amendments to the committee.